Purfleet 1940 1955

A Memory of Purfleet.

I lived in Mill Road during the war years until I was about 18 years old. We used to walk to Purfleet Primary School every day which was quite a stretch. I seem to remember that the infant teacher was a Miss Pond who I believe later became Mrs Paige. I remember Mr Springham was a head master at one time. We used to go down Tank Lane to collect leaves to take back to class to draw and paint.
I was a paper boy at Eatons and delivered from the station up to the garrison. I can remember the prisoner of wars riding their bikes through the village. When I was older i would walk home from school and stop off at the station cafe, and for a penny you could get a slice of bread and jam. If you were lucky you would get the crust , that was thicker.
My friend Kenny Appleyard lived next door to the station signal box and we would spend hours in the Botany woods were we picked bluebells in the Spring and blackberries in the Autumn.
We were flooded in 1953 and lived with my Grandmother in Castle road Grays for months before we could move back to Mill Road.I remember all the shops of the time. Walking towards the station the first two shops were co-op butcher then a co-op grocer. After a few houses there was the Dairy more houses then a greengrocers , then Scotts which I seem to remember sold various wares ( I remember going in there to buy my mothers cold cream, not vanishing cream she would say). Further on was the Post Office and finally next to the railway line was Eatons the news agent.
Although I moved away around 1955 I still regard Purfleet as my home town or village. I know that it has changed since those days but I still remember it as it was.

Mike Clements.